Santa Monica limits taxis on streets

July 9, 2009 12:00:00 AM PDT

SANTA MONICA, Calif. --

The city of Santa Monica is drastically cutting back on the number of taxis being allowed on its streets.The Santa Monica City Council approved a new measure Tuesday which creates a more strict licensing system. According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, the new system will create a competitive bidding process for companies looking to attain a license in Santa Monica. Such a process did not previously exist in the city and locally-owned businesses with a fuel-efficient fleet will be given preference.

The rules will also change concerning taxi cab franchises. Those companies must meet new standards in order to even qualify for a franchise license. The requirements include having a minimum fleet size of 25 vehicles and operating with a centralized dispatching system, the newspaper said. Those new rules are expected to cut the number of cabs by more than half.

City leaders are looking to ease traffic congestion and want to cut down on the amount of harmful emissions.